Sunday, 30 March 2008

I was able to visit the magnificent Fairchild Botanical Gardens in Miami today and enjoy some truly gorgeous gardenscapes. Below is a clump of bromeliads that make a great statement next to all the different shades of green. The flower of a bromeliad. The bark of the Eucalyptus Rainbow tree. This tree looks as if it is made of plasticene. Does anyone remember plasticene? That odd smell of childhood in the early 1970s.

Friday, 28 March 2008

We spent the better part of yesterday on the Yucatan Peninsula. The ship docked at Cozumel, the small island jst off the mainland and we took a ferry over to the Eastern Yucatan peninsula to visit the magnificent Tulum Mayan ruins. These were just a few of the things that I saw...... Even though I live in the Caribbean, sea this blue is just as thrilling for us. This was such a typical holiday scene. It is also the beach that lies just below the Mayan ruins and I couldn't help but think of all the human sacrifices that this beautiful vista has witnessed. Sobering really. Human sacrifice is not something that I think about every day but the fact that it existed among a people who were highly academic and intelligent made me think lots about the power of ritual and the ability of a whole civilization to move to the taboo with apparent ease once it's justified by religious ritual. Makes you think.

The side of a hand painted plate.

These wonderful chess figures are amazing in their detail.

This looked a lot like something that I know as "Scambled Egg Cassia" but will have to get home to check my Tropica.

This balcony scene is so Mexico, it's almost a caricature. A Mexican God in one of the the craft markets.

A bunch of bananas. There are bigger and more impressive than the ones we get at home.

Monday, 24 March 2008

I have mixed feelings when pulling into Labadee, Haiti on a sunny Monday morning. This island (half-island?) shares the island space with Dominican Republic. It is responsible for many firsts in the region.Some are definitive Caribbean milestones- Haiti was the earliest Caribbean colony to overthrow slavery with François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture, also known as Toussaint Bréda, or Toussaint-Louverture (born 20 May1743 - died April 8, 1803), the important leader of the Haitian Revolution. In a long struggle against the institution of slavery, he led the blacks to victory over the whites, freed the blacks, and secured native control over the colony in 1797.

For many of us that live in the region, Haiti is both an historic beacon and a tragic example of all that can go wrong on so many levels. It was also the first island in the region to explode into a full blown Aids crisis in the 1990s. It is well known for its distinctive art

What struck me the most in Haiti (and bear in mind that I only had access to approved vendors) was how similar they are to us in Trinidad in so many ways. Even in a society that has supposedly collapsed, the human spirit is still so resilient in songart and craft No matter how bad it gets, meals must be cooked, children are born and raised and there are good and bad people. But in Haiti many still work hard, buy school books and uniforms for their children and deal with the harsh lot that fate has handed them in the best way that they can.So did I enjoy Labadee. Yes, I did. We snorkelled on a lovely reef which I will post about tomorrow. And it is sad that we enjoyed so much natural beauty in such an unhappy country but without these cruise ships, many would have no jobs.

In the words of David Rudder, "Haiti, we're sorry". We really are, we didn't mean to turn our backs on you.

Friday, 21 March 2008

Every now and then I get a craving for serious macro. It's like a sushi craving- it won't go away until you give in to the impulse. Why do I like this style of photography so much? I guess it gives me that dreamy, other-wordly feeling that you sometimes get after a long afternoon nap. Kind of spacey but spot on- that's how my images make me feel when I get them right.The first one is lavender- up close and personal. My sister Jennifer's Lavender plant in Miami.

There's something about lavender that we recognize instinctively- calming, relaxing and soul satisfying. Heaven would be lying in a field of lavender.

While I am not a big fan of aniseed flavoured tarragon in my food- I love the bold little flowers- so brave and debonair in their yellow-ness. Key lime blossoms- a hint of yellow, purple and green that will somehow miraculously transform into a firm, green lime. Isn't nature beyond amazing? A shell that in perfectly symmetrical in its concentric swirls

Thursday, 20 March 2008

Wednesday, 19 March 2008

I still can't believe that my mother is not alive. I do feel orphaned even at 42. My father put this together- it's a compilation of her passport photos and it really hit a nerve with me as I remember her at every stage. And she always looked the same to me. She was still very young when she died at 66 but breast cancer took its toll. I miss her every day and think of all the things that we haven't told her this year. Grief is an extraordinary place.

St Kitts has been appearing in my dreams. If it is possible to feel a kinship with a place, this island would be the one place that I have travelled to and felt it immediately. Strange feeling, but a lovely one. I was in the mood to revisit it tonight and pulled up some of my old photos. I wish I knew the name of this beautiful flower. It grows on a large tree and I found it in the main Basseterre Square.

Despite having a Boabob tree in our savannah, I had never noticed the flower. It has an almost paper-like texture and is the lovely colour of tea stained cotton.An example of early Georgian architecture in the churches. St Kitts was one of the oldest colonies in the British West Indies and much of the region's history can be dug up here in the museums and churchyards. The churches, in particular, have such a beautiful, austere look. In a region that was subjected to a spate of earthquakes and devastating fires that often wiped out whole towns in the 18th and 19th centuries, it is amazing to see these buildings still standing.The cathedral in downtown Basseterre is beautiful in its symmetry. I believe this is the Catholic cathedral which is fairly unusual as St Kitts or St Christopher as it was known, was never a Spanish colony (please correct me if I am mistaken) and, as such, Catholicism was never as strong a presence as it was (and is) on islands like Trinidad. Tomorrow we head off for a Western Caribbean cruise. It's our first family vacation with Daddy since Mummy died in September and I hope he is going to enjoy it. They have done this particular cruise several times and I think it will probably bring up a lot of memories. But we are all looking forward to it.I will have my laptop this time around and hope to blog on some of the places that we visit. We are heading to Haiti, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and back to Miami so I hope to document some interesting things.

This was not a fashion statement. It really was so cold that the dogs needed coats. I even saw one with custom made booties. Everyone in Manhattan walks their dogs. Meaning, I assume, that all of these dogs live in apartments or townhouses. The dedication that it takes to be a pet owner in a large city is admirable. While I have five dogs and two cats, the dogs entertain each other, chase a few lizards, lie around or when particularly bored, uproot my plants. Could I live with them in closer proximity to me? Hmmmmm. This is so not the scene that you think you are going to come across in uptown Manhattan. I haven't seen laundry soap like this in years. We don't even get it like this here. So of course I had to investigate what was in this haberdashery. It got better, believe it or not. Lo and behold- Matouks gets around. Here it was in this little, West Indian/Chinese/multi-ethinic, everything you need to whip up an exotic recipe, store. And we Trinidadians know that you can't beat a Matouks Pepper Sauce Okaaay then. Dried something fishy. Who would look at this and say.....yes!! That has to come home with me today. There's no accounting for culinary taste.

Wednesday, 12 March 2008

Desiderata by Max EhrmannGo placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter;f or always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantmentit is as perennial as the grass.Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Tuesday, 11 March 2008

This is my favorite time of day. Dusk. Lights are just coming on in the houses, dinner is cooking and all the lovely smells from the neighbours' simmering pots come wafting by. The speed of a tropical twilight is not to be underestimated. It seems to come up from the ground rather than fall from the sky. First the shadows lengthen and then the sky goes from blue to violet and then suddenly into clear night. This orange heliconia is particularly vibrant and prolific. The bracts last for weeks on end. And this variety only grows to about 3 feet which is very manageable in the heliconia world.

One of my favourite begonias. I have never seen it flower but the leaves are so flamboyant that perhaps the flower is very insignificant. This variety catches easily by piece and provides much needed depth of colour in green beds.

Fern fronds make me happy.

This tanager is quite young with the pin feathers still showing on his chest. I have no doubt that his mama and papa are still close at hand, keeping a watcful eye. He has come for the bananafest that I have on my bamboo feeders every afternoon

About Me

Gardening in the rain, watering at dusk with a glass of red wine and making up new recipes that I can never reproduce are just some of the things that I like to do. I live under a large saman tree in a nostalgic old house with my husband, Ross, my daughter, Hayley, five dogs and two cats.